Microstructural neural correlates of maximal grip strength in autistic children: the role of the cortico-cerebellar network and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder features.

Autor:	Surgent O; Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.; Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States., Guerrero-Gonzalez J; Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.; Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States., Dean DC 3rd; Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.; Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.; Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States., Adluru N; Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.; Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States., Kirk GR; Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States., Kecskemeti SR; Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States., Alexander AL; Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.; Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.; Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States., Li JJ; Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.; Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States., Travers BG; Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.; Occupational Therapy Program in the Department of Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Frontiers in integrative neuroscience [Front Integr Neurosci] 2024 May 14; Vol. 18, pp. 1359099. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 May 14 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI:	10.3389/fnint.2024.1359099
Abstrakt:	Introduction: Maximal grip strength, a measure of how much force a person's hand can generate when squeezing an object, may be an effective method for understanding potential neurobiological differences during motor tasks. Grip strength in autistic individuals may be of particular interest due to its unique developmental trajectory. While autism-specific differences in grip-brain relationships have been found in adult populations, it is possible that such differences in grip-brain relationships may be present at earlier ages when grip strength is behaviorally similar in autistic and non-autistic groups. Further, such neural differences may lead to the later emergence of diagnostic-group grip differences in adolescence. The present study sought to examine this possibility, while also examining if grip strength could elucidate the neuro-motor sources of phenotypic heterogeneity commonly observed within autism. Methods: Using high resolution, multi-shell diffusion, and quantitative R1 relaxometry imaging, this study examined how variations in key sensorimotor-related white matter pathways of the proprioception input, lateral grasping, cortico-cerebellar, and corticospinal networks were associated with individual variations in grip strength in 68 autistic children and 70 non-autistic (neurotypical) children (6-11 years-old). Results: In both groups, results indicated that stronger grip strength was associated with higher proprioceptive input, lateral grasping, and corticospinal (but not cortico-cerebellar modification) fractional anisotropy and R1, indirect measures concordant with stronger microstructural coherence and increased myelination. Diagnostic group differences in these grip-brain relationships were not observed, but the autistic group exhibited more variability particularly in the cortico-cerebellar modification indices. An examination into the variability within the autistic group revealed that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) features moderated the relationships between grip strength and both fractional anisotropy and R1 relaxometry in the premotor-primary motor tract of the lateral grasping network and the cortico-cerebellar network tracts. Specifically, in autistic children with elevated ADHD features (60% of the autistic group) stronger grip strength was related to higher fractional anisotropy and R1 of the cerebellar modification network (stronger microstructural coherence and more myelin), whereas the opposite relationship was observed in autistic children with reduced ADHD features. Discussion: Together, this work suggests that while the foundational elements of grip strength are similar across school-aged autistic and non-autistic children, neural mechanisms of grip strength within autistic children may additionally depend on the presence of ADHD features. Specifically, stronger, more coherent connections of the cerebellar modification network, which is thought to play a role in refining and optimizing motor commands, may lead to stronger grip in children with more ADHD features, weaker grip in children with fewer ADHD features, and no difference in grip in non-autistic children. While future research is needed to understand if these findings extend to other motor tasks beyond grip strength, these results have implications for understanding the biological basis of neuromotor control in autistic children and emphasize the importance of assessing co-occurring conditions when evaluating brain-behavior relationships in autism. Competing Interests: AA is part owner of ImgGyd, LLC and inseRT MRI, Inc. (also listed as TherVoyant). While both companies are involved in developing MRI-based surgery techniques, neither are associated with any current areas of his research, including the present publication. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. (Copyright © 2024 Surgent, Guerrero-Gonzalez, Dean, Adluru, Kirk, Kecskemeti, Alexander, Li and Travers.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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